Amarnath Yatra Suspended From Jammu Amid Heightened Security On Article 370 Anniversary

JAMMU, Aug 5: The annual Amarnath Yatra was suspended from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Wednesday amid heightened security across Jammu and Kashmir on the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.

No fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to leave the Jammu base camp for the twin base camps of Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal districts, official sources said. The administration did not cite any specific reason for the suspension, but sources said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure in view of the prevailing security situation.

Authorities also suspended the movement of security convoys on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, according to the sources. Such restrictions are generally imposed when security agencies seek to minimise movement on the strategic highway, which serves as the main all-weather road connecting Jammu with the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country.

The suspension of the pilgrimage coincided with political parties, including the ruling National Conference, Congress and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), observing August 5 as a “Black Day” to mark the Centre’s August 5, 2019 decision to revoke the special status of the erstwhile state under Article 370 and reorganise it into two Union Territories.

The three parties have announced separate protest programmes in Jammu and other parts of the Union Territory, demanding restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status and full statehood.

The Amarnath Yatra, one of the country’s major annual pilgrimages, is conducted under extensive multi-layered security arrangements, with authorities regularly reviewing the movement plan based on security assessments and intelligence inputs.

More than 4.60 lakh pilgrims have so far paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in the southern Himalayas this year. The pilgrimage began on July 3 and is scheduled to conclude on August 28, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan. (Agencies)